Any difference grinding stumps when the ground is froze.

[066blaster]

I'm a first year grinder. It's been cold here,a couple inches of frost in the ground. I have a customer that wants a stump ground. Does the frost make it more difficult? I usually only go 4-5 inches deep. So I'm not in the dirt much anyway. I really don't want to do it since they salted the roads yesterday. I don't want salt on my grinder.

 

[Mowingman]

It should not make much difference. I think it would be just like when we grind in hard dry clay in the summer.
I am no expert though, as I will not work my grinder when it gets below 45 degrees on the thermometer. I think grinding in cold weather is hard on the belts and hydraulics. Besides, I don't like working outdoors in cold weather.

 

[Toddppm]

It's like grinding in frozen chocolate frosting! Not any harder to grind just looks weird. The hydraulics are definitely affected more, until they warm up can be pretty slow and make some bad noises. Have had moisture freeze up my controls a couple times but warmed them up and ok. I refilled with some RTO ?fluid from tractor supply last time I changed filters and machine doesn't seem to like it, need to find something else.

 

[Bricky]

I'm a first year grinder. It's been cold here,a couple inches of frost in the ground. I have a customer that wants a stump ground. Does the frost make it more difficult? I usually only go 4-5 inches deep. So I'm not in the dirt much anyway. I really don't want to do it since they salted the roads yesterday. I don't want salt on my grinder.

Howdy
I personally have been waiting for this Indiana ground to go from muddy soft to frozen hard. I have several jobs that i will be able to access just as soon as it freezes a little deeper. I have two Carlton 7500 grinders and have noticed no difference in hard ground grinding. My hydraulics warm up pretty quick it seems to me, but I keep the grease gun in the warm cab. I sharpen my own green teeth so sharp teeth are no problem. Another side benifit to winter grinding is there is no dust LOL Plus I would rather be working than looking out the window and waiting for spring. I love my 7500s and I love having aback up unit but I am saving up for a Carlton 7515TRX. Planning on keeping one of my current rigs for the six foot tall stumps and extra dirty jobs.
Speedy Stump Service

 

[066blaster]

Howdy
I personally have been waiting for this Indiana ground to go from muddy soft to frozen hard. I have several jobs that i will be able to access just as soon as it freezes a little deeper. I have two Carlton 7500 grinders and have noticed no difference in hard ground grinding. My hydraulics warm up pretty quick it seems to me, but I keep the grease gun in the warm cab. I sharpen my own green teeth so sharp teeth are no problem. Another side benifit to winter grinding is there is no dust LOL Plus I would rather be working than looking out the window and waiting for spring. I love my 7500s and I love having aback up unit but I am saving up for a Carlton 7515TRX. Planning on keeping one of my current rigs for the six foot tall stumps and extra dirty jobs.
Speedy Stump Service

Do you use the drill press and diamond wheel on a bench grinder method for sharpening the green teeth? I'm thinking about sharpening my own. It didn't even get above 15 degrees today so I told the guy I can do it in spring. I'm done for the season.

 

[Bricky]

Yes I do use the drill prees/bench grinder method with one addition. I duck taped my shop vac in the right spot to catch nearly all of the residue from the grindings but I still wear a mask. I have about 500 teeth waiting to be ground so as you can see I won't be buying any for awhile.
Speedy Stump Service.

 

[Stump Grinder52]

My previous grinder had Green Teeth,sharpened them the same as Bricky,except without the shop vac which is a very good idea.I used a resperator type mask and did it with my overhead door open at the end of my garage.

 

[sam-tip]

I think teeth dull just a little quicker but clean up is easier in winter. I might miss a few roots if there is to much snow on the ground.

 

[066blaster]

It seems only about 5% of my customers have wanted clean up. That's good because I prefer not to do it. It's ok on smaller stumps. But can be overwhelming on a job with 3 or 4 big stumps.

 

[Bricky]

I hear ya on the clean up. In my opinion clean up is a lot harder work and more expensive, than grinding the stump. I just grind the stump and if they really want it cleaned up, Iwill park my dump trailer on site($100) and they can shovel to their hearts content. Then I move on to my next customer. I have free place to dump.

Speedy Stump Service

 

[066blaster]

If i get a customer that sounds overly fussy on the phone I don't even take the job. I owned a lawncare/ landscaping/ snow plowing business for 15 years and dealt with alot of old fussy costumers. You can spend twice as much time on them and they are still not happy. I worked for several condo association's. They were enough to drive you crazy. It's aggravating me just thinking about the BS I had to put up with.

 

[lbj]

I grinded a pear stump in 5 degrees weather it seemed like the ground was harder then rock dulled up fast , but just have a 25 hp grinder

 

[stump grinder]

If you have to pry rocks out of that frozen ground you won't be very happy. I don't do that anymore.